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Updated: Mar 30, 2026
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Quality of HbA1c Measurement in Trinidad and Tobago
Maynika V Rastogi1, Paul Ladenson2, David E Goldstein3
1Department of Pediatrics, Sangre Grande Hospital, Trinidad and Tobago.
Background:
Monitoring of HbA1c is the standard of care to assess diabetes control. In Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) there are no existing data on the quality of HbA1c measurement. Our study examined the precision and accuracy of HbA1c testing in T&T.
Methods:
Sets of 10 samples containing blinded duplicates were shipped to laboratories in T&T. This exercise was repeated 6 months later. Precision and accuracy were estimated for each laboratory/method.
Results:
T&T methods included immunoassay, capillary electrophoresis, and boronate affinity binding. Most, but not all, laboratories demonstrated acceptable precision and accuracy.
Conclusions:
Continuous oversight of HbA1c testing (eg, through proficiency testing) in T&T is recommended. These results highlight the lack of oversight of HbA1c testing in some developing countries.
